DELTA PARK PROJECT
The purpose of the MG Eldon Bargewell Foundation (EBF) is to honor Hoquiam native Major General Eldon Bargewell USA (ret.) by building Delta Park. Our goal is to raise $300,000 to erect a statue of Eldon and three plaques showing his service to our country, his leadership and the honors he earned, including the Distinguished Service Cross (our nation’s second highest award for valor), 6 bronze stars (3 with V for valor and 3 for his service), and 4 purple hearts.
Donations will also be used to landscape the park and provide a fund to maintain the park in the future.
Robert W. Droll, Landscape Architect, PS has been hired to develop a landscaping plan for the park.
Rip and Alison Caswell (Caswell Sculpture) have been selected to create the statue. Rip is a Montesano native and their studio is in Troutdale, Oregon. Rip is excited about coming back to Grays Harbor to do our project. Read more about Rip’s Grays Harbor roots in this 2007 Daily World article by Tom Quigg.
Eldon Bargewell graduated from Hoquiam High School in 1965. He joined the US Army in 1967.
During his service in Vietnam, he earned the nation’s second highest medal for valor, the Army Distinguished Service Cross. When he retired in 2006, he was the most decorated active duty soldier. In 2010 he was the recipient of the Bull Simons Award, given by U.S. Special Operations Command to the person who exemplifies the esprit, values, and skills of the special operations warrior.
General Bargewell credited much of his success to growing up on the Harbor. “Hoquiam and Aberdeen may not be the center of the universe for business and entertainment, but it is a place where you can rise to success if you have the motivation.” — The Daily World, March 13, 2006
The MG Eldon Bargewell Foundation would like your help honoring a true hometown Hoquiam hero.
Eldon Bargewell joined the US Army in 1967. In a career spanning five decades, he rose from the rank of Private to Major General. At the time of his retirement in 2006, he was the most decorated active duty soldier. His awards include the Army Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second highest medal for valor.
1968 – 1973
RANK
STAFF SARGENT
- 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
- 6th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
- 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
- 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
- Graduated from Ranger School in 1970 as enlisted Honor Graduate, Camp Mackall, North Carolina
- Military Assistance Command – Vietnam Studies and Operations Group Command Control North
1973
RANK – SECOND LIEUTENANT
Graduated from Infantry Officers’ Candidate School, Fort Benning, Georgia, as Leadership Honor Graduate of OCS class 3-7
June 1973 – June 1980
RANK
SECOND LIEUTENANT
FIRST LIEUTENANT
CAPTAIN
- Original member of the 2nd Ranger Battalion, Fort Lewis, Washington
- Long Range Reconnaissance Platoon Leader, B Company, 75th Infantry (Ranger), Fort Lewis, Washington
- Assistant Operations Officer, B Company, 75th Infantry (Ranger), Fort Lewis, Washington
- Commander, later Platoon Leader, B Company, 2d Battalion, 75th Infantry (Ranger), Fort Lewis, Washington
- Aide-de-Camp to the Commanding General, 9th Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Washington
- Executive Officer, B Company, 2d Battalion, 75th Infantry (Ranger) Fort Lewis, Washington,
- S-3 Air (Operations), 2d Battalion, 47th Infantry, Fort Lewis, Washington
- Commander, C Company, 2d Battalion, 47th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Washington
uly 1980 – April 1981
RANK
CAPTAIN
Infantry Branch Representative, United States Army Infantry School, Fort Benning, Georgia
May 1981 – December 1988
RANK
CAPTAIN
MAJOR
Commander, later Executive Officer, later S-3 (Operations), later Squadron Commander, Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, Fort Bragg, North Carolina
RANK
MAJOR
LIEUTENANT COLONEL
- A Squadron Commander, 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment – Delta (Airborne)
- Squadron Commander, 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (Airborne), King Fahd Air Base, OPERATIONS DESERT SHIELD/STORM, Saudi Arabia
March 1991 – May 1993
RANK
LIEUTENANT COLONEL
Squadron Commander, later Deputy Commander, 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment- Delta (Airborne), Fort Bragg, North Carolina
June 1993 – May 1996
RANK
LIEUTENANT COLONEL
COLONEL
Deputy Director for Operations, J-3, later Director for Operations, J-3, Joint Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina
May 1996 – August 1998
RANK
COLONEL
Commander, 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (Airborne), Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
August 1998 – June 2000
RANK
BRIGADIER GENERAL
Commanding General, Special Operations Command Europe, United States European Command, Germany and OPERATION NOBLE ANVIL, Kosovo
July 2000 – July 2001
RANK
BRIGADIER GENERAL
Assistant Chief of Staff for Military Operations SFOR (Sarajevo), Joint Headquarters Centre, Allied Command Europe
August 2001 – July 2003
RANK
BRIGADIER GENERAL
MAJOR GENERAL
Director, Center for Operations, Plans and Policy, United States Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida
July 2003 – March 2005
RANK
MAJOR GENERAL
- Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations/Commander, Allied Joint Force Command – Brunssum
- Deployable Joint Task Force, North Atlantic Treaty Organization Response Force, Brunssum, The Netherlands
April 2005 – May 2006
RANK
MAJOR GENERAL
Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, C-3, Multi-National Force-Iraq, OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM, Iraq
DELTA PARK PROJECT
The purpose of the MG Eldon Bargewell Foundation (EBF) is to honor Hoquiam native Major General Eldon Bargewell USA (ret.) by building Delta Park. Our goal is to raise $300,000 to erect a statue of Eldon and three plaques showing his service to our country, his leadership and the honors he earned, including the Distinguished Service Cross (our nation’s second highest award for valor), 6 bronze stars (3 with V for valor and 3 for his service), and 4 purple hearts.
Donations will also be used to landscape the park and provide a fund to maintain the park in the future.
Robert W. Droll, Landscape Architect, PS has been hired to develop a landscaping plan for the park.
Rip and Alison Caswell (Caswell Sculpture) have been selected to create the statue. Rip is a Montesano native and their studio is in Troutdale, Oregon. Rip is excited about coming back to Grays Harbor to do our project. Read more about Rip’s Grays Harbor roots in this 2007 Daily World article by Tom Quigg.
MG ELDON BARGEWELL MEMORIAL FUND
100% of donations go to the Delta Park Project and are tax deductible.
Thank you for your support!
Donations can be mailed to:
The Grays Harbor Community Fund
707 J Street
Hoquiam, WA 98550
Make check out to:
GH Community Fund
Memo MG Bargewell Memorial
Donate On line https://www.gh-cf.org/online-donation/
